From: Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter <information@sierraclub.

org> on
behalf of Igor Tregub <sierra@sierraclub.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2015 2:18 PM
To:
McElhaney, Lynette
Subject:
Don't allow coal exports from Oakland
Apr 30, 2015
Ms. Lynette McElhaney
3rd Floor
1 Frank H Ogawa Plaza
Oakland, CA 94612-1932
Dear Ms. McElhaney,
I'm writing to voice my strong opposition to the export of coal from the bulk fa
cility at the Oakland Army
Base, under development by California Capital & Investment Group (CCIG), in part
nership with the City
of Oakland and the State of California. Despite multiple promises from CCIG Pres
ident Phil Tagami not to
export coal from that facility, it appears that the company has been quietly pur
suing a project to export
five to six million tons of Utah coal out of Oakland each year.
Coal is bad for the climate, community and worker health, and the environment, a
nd both Oakland and
California have standing policies opposing the export of dirty energy.
California is a coal-free state for good reason, and shouldn't be enabling other
countries with less
stringent environmental protections to burn it. Coal is the most carbon-intensiv
e of all the fossil fuels
and coal is the largest contributor to climate disruption. Whether it's burned h
ere or abroad, the effect
of coal on global climate will be felt by everyone. While California is setting
aggressive carbon-reduction
targets, this terminal would allow the most carbon-polluting fuel to be brought
to market, with
devastating consequences.
Coal is bad for our local workforce, organized labor, and worker health. Termina
ls that ship coal provide
far fewer jobs than terminals that ship containers or general cargo -- and that
means fewer jobs for
Oakland residents. Coal is increasingly an anti-union industry. With the imminen
t closing of the Deer
Creek mine in Emery County, Utah, there will be no union mines operating in that
state. Oakland should
support projects that create good union jobs.
Longshoremen that work at coal-export facilities are exposed to serious health r
isks. Prolonged, direct
exposure to coal dust has been linked to health issues such as chronic bronchiti
s, decreased lung
function, emphysema, cancer, and heart disease.
Coal dust and particulate matter from trains' diesel engines pose significant th
reats to Bay Area air and

water quality. Coal breaks apart easily to create dust and contains mercury, ars
enic, uranium, and
hundreds of other toxins harmful to humans and marine animals. West Oakland resi
dents are already
twice as likely to visit the emergency room for asthma as the average Alameda Co
unty resident, and are
also more likely to die of cancer and heart and lung disease. The increased frei
ght traffic carrying coal
would intensify the air pollution already plaguing West Oakland, threatening loc
al public health and
safety.
Even with mitigation efforts like covered train cars and coal piles, there's no
way to completely protect
the community and the environment from the risks that coal exports would pose.
Both the Port and the City have taken unambiguous policy positions opposing the
export of coal from
Oakland. In February of 2014, Oakland's Port Commission voted unanimously to rej
ect Bowie Resource
Partners' proposal to export coal from the city-owned Charles P. Howard Terminal
. And in July of 2014,
the City Council passed a resolution opposing the transport of fossil fuels, inc
luding coal, by rail through
the city. The State of California has taken a complimentary position; In 2012, A
ssembly Joint Resolution
35 of the state legislature stated opposition to coal being exported from the Un
ited States to countries
with fewer environmental regulations.
CCIG's secretive project to export Utah coal would go against these precedents - not to mention their
own promises to the community -- and betray the best interests of the residents
of Oakland.
Please stand with every Oakland resident who cares about global climate and comm
unity and worker
health in opposing this project and any other that would export fossil fuels fro
m Oakland's ports. Public
land should be used for the public good, not for a dirty export project that wou
ld put us all in danger.
Sincerely,
Mr. Igor Tregub
1043 Virginia St
Berkeley, CA 94710-1852